The Ten Commandments (1956)

The Ten Commandments (1956) remains the definitive Easter Sunday spectacle, drawing over 20 million annual viewers on ABC since 1973. The parting of the Red Sea used 5,500 gallons of water recycled through hidden tanks, a physical effect that outperforms #2's cynical humor in sheer visual grandeur. Cecil B. DeMille's epic cost $13 million at the time—more than any previous Paramount film—and stars Charlton Heston as Moses. Its 50-year broadcast tradition rivals only *The Wizard of Oz* as a holiday staple, yet no other Easter film matches its cultural weight: the U.S. Library of Congress preserved it as culturally significant. Every shot of the Exodus narrative, from the burning bush to the Ten Commandments, relies on practical artistry that even modern CGI cannot replicate.